I am giving you a few exercises to start off with for the first week and
until your exerciser arrives. These preliminary exercises require no
apparatus, and I give them to you so that you will not lose any time while
you are waiting for the progressive exerciser. The parcel post at times is
very slow, and you may not receive the exerciser for week or so. These
exercises, I have selected as best adapted for your case, and they will
get your muscles in shape for the work with the exerciser. Keep at them
until your exerciser arrives.

The order in which you perform these exercises makes no difference as
far as development is concerned, but I suggest you do all of the leg work
first and get done with it, for you will find that the leg work is not as
pleasant to do as the upper body work, because It requires more lung power
to execute it. I suggest, after you finish your leg work, that you take
about ten or more deep long breaths, for you will probably be winded, and
It is then when deep breathing does you the most good when you are out of
breath.

After you finish your drill, I also want you to take about ten or more
deep long breaths. Fill your lungs to their capacity and throw your
shoulders back, This deep breathing will not only increase the size of
your chest, but it will give you more energy and also purify your blood.
In fact, every time you think of it, while outdoors, take deep long
breaths, You really cannot get too much fresh air into your lungs.

Now I want you to just place yourself in my hands and leave everything
to me, and I know you will be more than satisfied with results. I want you
to have full confidence in me and in what I tell you from week to week,
for you will find me absolutely frank with you in every way, and I expect
you to be the same with me, by faithfully following my instructions to the
very best of your ability, and also to exercise every day. This you MUST
do. I am a great believer in daily exercise, and I practice what I preach.
The best time for this I find, is In the mornings, upon arising, for then
you get done with it, whereas if you postpone it until evening, something
may arise to prevent it and then a day is lost, and each day counts. You
will realize the importance of this after you have been working a few
weeks under my guidance. Of course, if you really cannot do your drill in
the mornings, why any other time of the day will do just as well, as far
as results are concerned, but be sure never to skip one day.

EXERCISE #1 - Stand erect. Then squat down until your
knees are bent as far as possible and you are practically sitting on your
heels. Then rise up again until your legs are straight. This is called the
common deep knee bending exercise. The proper way to perform this exercise
is when you start to rise up or straighten your legs, to push awayfrom the floor as vigorously as you can. When you have risen, stiffen
your knees, or in other words straighten your legs by pushing backwards at
the knees. Each time you rise from the squatting position rise as if your
body weighed twice as much as it does. It is not what you do but how you
do it that counts in exercising. Always exercise the hardest way, for the
hardest way will develop you the quickest. This exercise needs no
illustration, but I will illustrate it later on in your course, when I
will give it to you in a much harder way, according to how you progress in
strength. This exercise will develop the muscles in front of your thighs,
and give a curve to the upper leg. Do this exercise until you feel
slightly tired in the thighs.

EXERCISE #2 - Rise up and down on your toes, and do this
on one leg at a time. Rise as high as you possibly can until you feel a
strain in the calf of the leg. The calf of the leg is quite a hard part of
the body to develop, as you are constantly walking and using the muscles
so much that they are hardened against exercise, and it is only by forcing
them and straining them to their limit, that results will be obtained. If
you will perform this exercise on a book, as shown in
photo
#5, you will obtain better results and also tire your muscles out
quicker. Do this exercise until your calf is tired, and repeat with other
leg.

EXERCISE #3 - Grasp right heel with right hand, as shown
in photo
#11. Then while holding heel with right hand, raise the leg as high
as you possibly can and then straighten knee as shown in
photo
#10. It is this last part, the straightening of the knee that does
the work. This exercise will develop the biceps of the leg, or the muscles
behind the thigh. These muscles are important as they give a very pleasing
appearance to the thighs. Do this exercise at least 10 times, and then
repeat with other hand and leg.

EXERCISE #4 - Stand with toes pointed directly front and
with feet about 12 inches apart. Then bend knees without lifting the heels
from the floor keeping body erect. When you feel as though you have bent
them as far as they will go, try to bend them farther. It is the last
strain that benefits you. This is an excellent exercise for the muscles of
the shin, and will give the lower leg a rounder shape. This needs no
illustration. Do this exercise about 15 or more times.

EXERCISE #5 - Roll the head around, turn it to the right
and left, bend it from side to side, bend it forward and backward, etc. I
give you this to prepare you for some heavier neck work which I will give
you later. Do not do these neck movements jerkily, for if you do, you may
get a kink in the neck that will annoy you for several days. Neither
should you keep your eyes open while performing these movements, until you
become used to them a bit, for in doing so, it may cause dizziness. If you
should experience any dizziness while doing this neck work, just stop for
a few moments and rest. Pay a lot of attention to these movements for you
know a well developed neck is very pleasing to look at. Perform 15 to 25
times. No illustration

EXERCISE #6 - Lie flat on your stomach on the floor and
place your hands on each side of your chest, palms on the floor. Then push
up until your arms are stiff, as shown in
photo
#12. Be sure to keep the whole body stiff throughout this exercise.
The only parts of your body that should touch the floor are your toes and
hands. This is called the push-up, and is one of the greatest exercises
known for the pectoral (chest) muscles. It also develops the triceps (the
muscles behind the upper arms) and the abdominal muscles. Do this exercise
just as many times as you can, and. perform each count vigorously.

EXERCISE #7 - Hold arms in position as shown in
photo
#8. You will note the right hand is closed and the left hand is
pressing against the right wrist. The object is to bring the right fist to
the right shoulder and at the same time resisting strongly with the left
hand and arm. The harder you resist, the more benefit you will get out of
this exercise. When your right fist reaches the height of shoulder, relax
completely and start over again from first position. Do not push the right
arm down, but let it drop without any effort. This will give the blood a
chance to flow, more freely. If you keep your arm tensed all the time, the
blood does not. have a chance to flow properly. Do the same with the left
arm. This exercise is a fine one for the biceps and it will prepare you
for some work with the progressive exerciser. Continue this exercise until
your upper arm is tired. Be sure to make complete contractions and
extensions each time. That means, when you start the movement, do not
start where the hands are shown in the photo of myself, but start with the
right arm straight and then bring the arm up just as far as it will go.

EXERCISE #8 - Grasp the right arm as shown in
photo
#9. Then try to push the right arm across the body while keeping it
stiff. After you have pushed it across your body, relax for a second, and
then bring the arm back to starting place again. While you are performing
this movement, you should resist strongly with the muscles of the left
arm. After you have done this about 10 to 15 times, reverse and do the
same with the left arm. This exercise will broaden your shoulders, and
also prepare you for some fine muscle building work with the progressive
exerciser next week.